It's time to fly!
Around here, springtime means it’s officially drone season! Aside from the rainy day here and there, the sun is shining and things are starting to green up. When it comes to any kind of outdoor video shooting, people typically don’t want to see the subject surrounded by bare trees and bushes, brown grass, or overcast skies, not to mention snow. So once the weather changes, our clients begin planning outdoor video marketing projects and our drone video production services are in high demand.
Now, everyone loves a good drone shot. Even the actual piloting can be a site to see. We rarely fly the drone in a public space without being approached or a least observed. And the final product? It’s just impressive, right? Seeing things from bird’s eye view is pretty cool. But you might have a few questions about hiring a professional drone pilot for your own video. Is it worth it? Will professional drone footage really help communicate a message or tell a story? Or, is drone videography just a novelty? Does the aerial video just look pretty, but not serve any real purpose?
Of course, we definitely think there is value in drone video footage! So, to help answer your questions, we put together 4 reasons that aerial footage might be important for your next video production.
1. Location Focus
When a particular building or location is a focus of your video, using a drone is the best way to get the footage. It allows you to showcase the size and surroundings of the property, which isn’t always possible from the ground.
For example, we produced a video for a non-profit that included information on plans for a future facility. They were able to use our drone services to show the property and its location. We were also able to include some simple animation on the aerial shots to better explain the plans. Showing the footprint of the property as well as its surroundings would have been pretty impossible without the video footage from the drone.
2. Large-scale subject
Hiring professional drone video production services is the way to go when you want to show the scope of something big, such as work being done at a large construction site or an outdoor corporate event. Seeing from a distance above conveys scale like nothing else. This is also an easy way to see something as it moves through a large space, such as a truck or other piece of construction equipment. Or, there may be certain elements of a logistics operation that can only be seen from above rather than ground level.
This great example of how aerial video production services can really make in an impact in videos for the construction and logistics sectors. For one of our clients, we were able to incorporate some drone footage in their video that showed a vehicle moving through a part of their quarry. Showing the operation at this level really helped tell their story, and there is no way it could have been done without the drone flying along with the vehicle and capturing aerial footage.
3. Establishing shot
Drone footage makes for a great establishing shot at the beginning of a video or even at the end as well for a “book end” approach. Drone video can often pair well with branding that is also typically at the beginning and/or end of a marketing video. In many cases, it can be helpful to show the audience your store front or location so that they can put a physical place with your name. We have done this for many clients over the years, and it always makes for a fantastic opening/closing shot for a variety of video projects.
4. Different Perspective
Particularly in videos that rely on a good amount of b-roll, having drone footage adds variety and shows a different perspective. This can be a great way to keep the visual momentum going. I’m just guessing you’ve probably heard that it can be hard to keep people’s attention these days. Having a good variety of b-roll shots to mix in to your video helps keep your audience focused on you and your message. Drone footage certainly makes for attention-grabbing video content and helps shake up any visual monotony.
These days, most of our clients utilize our drone video production services and we incorporate the drone footage into the majority of our video projects (for one or more of the reasons listed above). If you’d like to see some examples of completed video projects, be sure to check out our video portfolio.
just one more thing ...
This may go without saying, but please be sure you’re getting your drone video footage safely! Whether you have someone in-house or you’re hiring a professional drone pilot, make sure that, like us, they are appropriately licensed, insured, and following the law. While drone technology is pretty amazing, the law states the drone can never leave the sight of the drone operator or assistant, and you really can’t fly over people.
Unfortunately, we see these rules flaunted all too often because someone is going after a really cool shot. But the reality is, not only can the drone pilot be held liable for any potential issue, you as a business owner might be held liable as well. Don’t risk it! Be sure you are working with a licensed and insured drone pilot whose operations are FAA compliant (learn more here). Go after those great shots, but do it the right way.
